Apple’s ‘ecosystem’ control grid is about to get more control

By JASON STEIN | LAUNDRY SERVICE | FEBRUARY 20, 2013

Apple is evolving into an ecosystem, a network that connects to and controls everything from your home to your car to your office. This has the potential to be as impactful as the iPhone and iPad. Today I use iOS apps to control my stereo system (the Sonos) and central air (the Nest). Both work beautifully, and there are more iThings on the way like this incredible door lock.

Most of all, I want my television to be part of that Apple ecosystem: a thin glass hub integrating cable series, movies, endless utility and gaming apps, YouTube videos, music, photos, e-mails, FaceTime, social media feeds, and more. I want the TV to be my alarm clock, turning from ‘Sleep’ mode to awaken me with sweet music, a weather report and news, through an app like the newly launched Winston (which is already optimized for Airplay).

Apple needs a television because Apple wants to be a way of life — a management platform to improve the “user experience” of living. As Tim Cook explained last week, Apple is no longer a hardware company.

Last quarter Apple generated $3.75 billion in software and services revenue. Imagine the potential for that number to expand when developers can create apps that reinvent our relationship with television screens.

Better yet, in the next two to three years, the television commercial model will transition from traditional media buying into a more programmatic ad network similar to the Internet. Ads will not be served to everyone watching a program as they are now. They will be served only to viewers that are in the advertiser’s target market. This will be a more effective approach for advertisers, because it will be tied to all of your Apple devices.

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Wikileaks Publica Documentos sobre a Indústria Global de Espionagem

Por Luis R. Miranda
The Real Agenda
1 de Dezembro 2011

Dezenas de empresas em uma indústria não regulamentada localizadas principalmente em países desenvolvidos fornecem tecnologias para militares e agências governamentais. Esta tecnologia permite que as agências de espionagem entrem em computadores e telefones e criem perfis que permitem identificar o paradeiro de qualquer pessoa.

Wikileaks publicou a primeira parte da informação confidencial que revela um sistema de espionagem global completo que opera em 25 países. O fundador do site Wikileaks, Julian Assange deu uma conferência de imprensa revelando os segredos da indústria.

O site já publicou cerca de 287 documentos em seu banco de dados, obtidas de 60 empresas de inteligência internacional. A base de dados inclui documentos internos de empresas como Gamma do Reino Unido, Ipoque da Alemanha, Amesys VUPEN da França, VASTech da África do Sul, a ZTE Corp na China, Phoenexia na República Checa, SS8 e Blue Coat em os EUA.UU., entre outros.

Este é apenas o primeiro passo pela organização Wikileaks de publicar seus arquivos do projeto criado para expor as empresas que estão fazendo bilhões de dólares vendendo ferramentas de hacking para controlar a atividade em computadores e telefones celulares. A indústria está completamente desregulamentada e cuja tecnologia moderna criada em países desenvolvidos pode facilmente encontrar o seu caminho em qualquer lugar do mundo.

De acordo com os dados filtrados, os dispositivos produzidos por britânicos, franceses, sul-africanos e chineses foram usados pelos regimes de Hosni Mubarak no Egito e Muamar Kadafi na Líbia para monitorar e controlar todos os movimentos dos cidadãos desses estados.

“As agências de inteligência das forças militares e policiais são capazes de silênciosamente obter informação assim como interceptar e gravar esta informação sem a ajuda ou conhecimento dos provedores de telecomunicações”, diz o comunicado oficial do WikiLeaks. “A localização física dos usuários pode ser encontradas através dos telefones celulares mesmo em modo de espera ou desligado.”

Os programas criados por empresas de espionagem são capazes de “seqüestrar” os computadores pessoais e telefones móveis populares, incluindo aqueles com sistemas operacionais tais como Android, IOS e Blackberry.

Outro ramo da indústria são as ferramentas de reconhecimento de voz que ajudam a identificar e localizar um indivíduo pela sua única “impressão vocal”. A CIA, acredita-se, usa essas ferramentas para analisar dados de voz reunidos por aeronaves não-tripuladas Predator no Oriente Médio e na identificação e localização exata de indivíduos procurados.

Na nova realidade não há necessidade de os serviços de inteligência estejam focados em localizar uma pessoa de interesse. Eles têm acesso a informações relevantes sobre qualquer pessoa sensível, em que pode se interessar no futuro.

Os documentos desclassificados estão disponíveis no site oficial do projeto.

 

Wikileaks Publica Documentos sobre la Industria Espía Global

Por Luis R. Miranda
The Real Agenda
01 de Diciembre, 2011

Decenas de empresas en una industria no regulada que se localizan principalmente en países desarrollados proveen tecnologías a agencias militares y gubernamentales. Esta tecnología permite a las agencias espiar en computadoras y teléfonos así como crear huellas vocales e identificar el paradero de cualquier persona.

Wikileaks ha publicado la primera parte de la información confidencial que revela un sistema completo de espionaje mundial operando en 25 países. El fundador del sitio Wikileaks, Julian Assange ofreció una conferencia de prensa, revelando los secretos de la industria.

El sitio ha publicado unos 287 documentos en su enorme base de datos, obtenidos de 60 contratistas de inteligencia internacional. La base de datos incluye documentos internos de empresas tales como la Gamma en el Reino Unido, Ipoque de Alemania, Amesys y VUPEN en Francia, VASTech en Sudáfrica, ZTE Corp en China, Phoenexia en la República Checa, SS8 y Blue Coat en los EE.UU., entre otros.

Este es sólo el primer paso por parte de la organización WikiLeaks en su proyecto de publicación de archivos, creado para exponer a las compañías que están haciendo miles de millones de dólares vendiendo herramientas de espionaje para rastrear actividad en computadoras y telefonos celulares. La industria está completamente desregulada y la tecnología moderna creada por las empresas comerciales en los países desarrollados puede encontrar fácilmente su camino a cualquier país del mundo.

Según los datos filtrados, los dispositivos producidos por británicos, franceses, sudafricanos, y la corporación china fueron utilizados por los regímenes de Mubarak en Egipto y Gadafi en Libia para seguir y controlar cada movimiento de los ciudadanos de esos estados.

“Las agencias de inteligencia, las fuerzas militares y policiales son capaces de silenciosamente, y en masa, interceptar secretamente y archivar información sin la ayuda o el conocimiento de los proveedores de telecomunicaciones”, dice el comunicado oficial de WikiLeaks. “La ubicación física de los usuarios puede ser encontrada a través de sus teléfonos móviles, incluso en su modo de stand by o apagado”.

Los programas creados por las empresas de espionaje son capaces de ‘secuestrar’ los ordenadores personales y teléfonos móviles populares, incluyendo aquellos con sistemas operativos Android, iOS y Blackberry.

Otra rama de la industria son las herramientas de reconocimiento de voz, que ayudan a identificar y localizar a un individuo por su única “huella de voz”. La CIA, se cree, utiliza estas herramientas para el análisis de datos de voz recogidos por aviones no tripulados Predator en el Medio Oriente y la identificación de la ubicación exacta de los individuos más buscados.

En la nueva realidad no hay necesidad de que los servicios de inteligencia se centren en localizar a un individuo de interés. Ellos tienen acceso a la información pertinente sobre cualquier persona sensible, en los que pueden llegar a interesarse en el futuro.

Los documentos desclasificados están disponibles en el sitio web oficial del proyecto.

WikiLeaks Releases ‘Global Surveillance Industry’ Documents

Unregulated industry allows companies in developed countries to provide technologies to military and government agencies. This technology allows such agencies to hack into computers and telephones and come up with voiceprints and to pinpoint anyone’s whereabouts.

Russia Today
December 1, 2011

WikiLeaks has released the first portion of sensitive data revealing a new global surveillance and interception industry spanning 25 countries. Site founder Julian Assange held a press conference, revealing the secrets of the industry.

­The whistleblowing site has published some 287 documents from its huge database, collected from 160 international intelligence contractors. The database includes internal documents of such companies like Gamma corporation in the UK, Ipoque of Germany, Amesys and Vupen in France, VASTech in South Africa, ZTE Corp in China, Phoenexia in the Czech Republic, SS8 and Blue Coat in the US, among others.

And this was only the first step of the WikiLeaks Spy Files project, established to expose companies, which are making billions of dollars selling sophisticated tracking and surveillance tools. The industry is completely unregulated and modern technology created by commercial companies in developed nations can easily find their way to any country of the world.

According to the leaked data, the devices produced by British, French, South African, and Chinese corporation were used by the regimes of Mubarak in Egypt and Gaddafi in Libya to track and monitor every move of those states’ citizens.

­“Intelligence agencies, military forces and police authorities are able to silently, and on mass, and secretly intercept calls and take over computers without the help or knowledge of the telecommunication providers ,” says the statement on the official WikiLeaks Spy Files sites. “Users’ physical location can be tracked if they are carrying a mobile phone, even if it is only on stand by.”

­The pieces of software created by surveillance companies are capable of hijacking personal computers and popular mobile phones, including those with Android, iOS, and Blackberry operating systems.

Another branch of the industry is voice recognition tools, which help identify and track down individual by his unique “voiceprint”. The CIA is believed to be using those tools for analyzing the voice data collected by Predator drones in the Middle East and identifying the exact location of most wanted individuals.

In the new reality there is no need for intelligence services to focus on tracking down an individual person of interest. They have access to relevant sensitive information about any person in whom they may become interested in the future.

Declassified documents are available on the project’s official website.­

Iphone’s New Creepy Companion

Sean Ludwig
Mobile Beat
November 3, 2011

Bluetooth headset maker Jawbone will soon release its new Up life monitoring wristband that’s designed to help you live a move healthy life by tracking every move you make, what you’re eating, how long you’re sleeping and how many calories you burn.The Jawbone Up, in many ways, is a cool use of technology to tackle the problem of not being active enough. Using the wristband and an iOS app, you can get prompts to move when you sit at your desk too long, be told exactly how long you’ve slept, be prompted to wake up in accordance with your natural sleep cycle and track how many calories you eat by snapping photos of your food.To get the most out of the product, you are expected to wear the wristband 24 hours a day. To make that possible, the Jawbone team has made the Up band water resistant and durable and it lasts 10 days on a single charge.While all of those aspects are handy, some potential users may shy away because they don’t want a piece of technology tracking every single thing they do or eat 24 hours a day. While the data isn’t neccesarily being shared with anyone else, there is something a little creepy about a machine that knows every little thing you do in your life. Additionally, if someone else gets their hands on your iPhone, he or she may be able to see all of those things.

As someone who spends a lot of time at my desk each day and not enough time in my bed at night, I like the idea of the Up wristband being able to help me get back into a healthier routine. The trick, if I decided to get one, would be keeping it on me regardless of activity and remembering to track my food intake.

The Up wristband goes on sale Nov. 6 for $100 from retailers including the Apple Store, Best Buy and Target. The wristband comes in small, medium, and large sizes and in seven different colors: black, brown, blue, white, silver, dark red and bright red.

Check out the video below of various aspects and benefits of the Up wristband: